What Is Dramaturgy?

Dramaturgy in Two Senses:
Towards a Theory and Some Working
Principles of New-Play Dramaturgy

Art Borreca

Towards a Theory of New-Play Dramaturgy

To work as a dramaturg on new plays, it helps to be a little of
each of the following: theatre artist, critic, scholar of modern
drama, therapist, conflict mediator, organizational consultant.
Traditional definitions of dramaturgy take one of these roles
and qualify it, calling the dramaturg, for instance, a "critic
inside the process" or a "director behind the firing lines." While
such designations are insufficient for the dramaturg who works
on classical productions, they may nonetheless capture the
nature of his main function on a project. For example, the
dramaturg might serve primarily as a scholarly expert or
resource, as an observer and critic of the rehearsal process, or
as a textual or translation consultant. In contrast, while the
new-play dramaturg might primarily give feedback on the
rehearsal process, or consult with the playwright while he is
writing, this sort of dramaturg tends to serve at least two or
more functions--artistic, critical, organizational, therapeutic,
and others.

This is so because the dramatic text and its maker--as well as
the performance of the work--demand equal attention from the
new-play dramaturg. If the writer is involved at all in the
"workshopping" or production of his play, rehearsals will tend
to structure themselves around not only the development of the
play but also the creative and psychological processes that the
writer is going through. These processes may not be the focus of
rehearsals, but a writer's process can set their general tone and
structure. Moreover, many new-play programs, at both the pro-

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